11/19/2018

ART's "ExtraOrdinary": Who Gets to Tell Your Story?

With
apologies to Lin Manuel Miranda and Hamilton, the
current production at ART, titled ExtraOrdinary, might
well have utilized the tag line, “Who Gets to Tell Your Story?”,
as the compilation of numbers from the last ten years of the
company's offerings promises. If there is a common thread throughout
this latest effort, it would be the undeniably strong emphasis that
ART has always placed on the necessity of theater to enable the
telling of the story of a person or group themselves as opposed to
someone else telling it for them. Thus the long-overlooked and
forgotten, the oppressed and the downtrodden, the characters so often
marginalized in other media have found a home and a voice in the
welcoming genius that is Artistic Director Diane Paulus. On the
surface, this was a celebration of her enduring spirit, unabashedly
consistent and sincere liberalism, and uncanny skill in knowing what
works in the theater of today. At its base, though, this was a much
broader manifesto about the power of music and drama, especially when
commingled, to offer resistance to the darker powers in the world
outside the confines of a performance venue. As Paulus quotes none
other than Brecht in the program: “In the dark times, will there be
singing? Yes, there will be singing, about the dark times”.

The
festivities got off to a rollicking start with a clever update of the
song from Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812
(arguably the greatest
production in the history of the company) that introduced all of the
major characters in that show (“Prologue”). It was a superb way
to re-introduce the ART audience to some of the performers associated
with a baker's dozen of the “over thirty musicals, operas, music
theater pieces, and plays with music”. These included three actors
from the company's successful revival of Pippin, guest
performer (and Tony winner for her “Leading Player”) Patina
Miller, Terrence Mann and Matthew James Thomas in the title role, as
well as local favorite MJ Rodriguez (who prefers not be pigeonholed
as a trans actor, and justly so in this era of self-affirmation, and given such extra-ordinary talent) from Burn All Night, Melody
A. Betts (Witness Uganda), andBryonha Marie Parham (Porgy
and Bess). Also in the company
were two recent performers, Kathryn Gallagher (Jagged
Little Pill) and Brandon Michael
Nase (The Black Clown). The
tight-knit troupe of eight were uniformly excellent in their
portrayals, (though one of them jarringly hammed it up and needs to
be restrained a mite), a further testament to Paulus and her team and
their pluperfect casting abilities.

The Cast of "Extraordinary"(photo: Gretjen Helene Photography)

With
all this talent on stage, it made for a sometimes dazzling cabaret
experience. Whether or not one is blown away by their numerous star
turns depends on one's preference for cabaret, which this decidedly
was. Any such effort faces two possible challenges, one being the
very subjective choice of numbers to be presented and the impact (or
lack thereof) of songs that are delivered out of any theatrical
context. Adding to these potential pitfalls was the frequent lack of
information (neither in the program nor its inserts nor any
supertitles) as to what show a song was from or even what the name of
the song was. Thus the more familiar numbers, such as Parham's
superlative “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess (in
tandem with great trumpet virtuosity by Riley Mulherkar) stood out
while excerpts from less popular works (Prometheus Bound
and The Blue Flower)
went unidentified. There were several choices from Pippin
(but markedly not the best
showstopper in the revival, “No Time at All”) perhaps recognizing
the presence in the audience of its Composer/Lyricist Stephen
Schwartz. And shows that went on to Broadway distinction such as
Waitress or Finding
Neverland were underrepresented
(as noted above, however, a subjective reaction). On the creative
side, the Choreography by Abbey O'Brien (supplemented by Chet Walker)
was amazing, complemented by the Scenic Design by Jason Sherwood,
Costume Design by Emilio Sosa, Lighting and Projection Design by
Jeannette Oi-Suk Yew, and perhaps most especially the Sound Design by
Jonathan Deans. The small but effective band quintet led by Lance
Horne was an invaluable asset as well.

If
cabaret style evenings like this are your cup of tea, (here only
until November 30th),
you'll love this trip down memory lane, which will feature guest
performers during the run such as Norm Lewis orAlicia
Hall Moran (both from ART's revival of Porgy and Bess),
Rachel Bay Jones (Pippin),
and Lea DeLaria (Prometheus
Bound). And there's no reason
not to expect ten years hence another evening of Paulus' greatest
hits to be enjoyed for the next decade; she is not one for looking
backward or resting on her estimable laurels. One has the distinct
feeling that this giant in the theatre has only just begun.